Italians spent 72.5 billion euros on culture last year, the Federculture association said on Thursday. This was 2.4% up on 2017, it said. Culture spending accounted for some 6.7% of total household spending in 2018, Federculture said in its 15th annual report entitled The Culture Business, Policies, Networks and Competencies.

The report was presented in Rome in the presence of Culture Minister dario Franceschini. Household spending on culture fell 4.6% between 2008 and 2013, the worst years of the economic crisis, at the same time as GDP dropped by 1.6% and overall consumer spending rose 1%, the report said. Since 2013, on the other hand, culture spending has risen 13.4% to last year, compared to an overall rise in consumer spending of 8.8% and a GDP rise of 9.9%.